Friday, July 12, 2013

"It's pretty unusual," said Kent State head coach Paul Haynes. "It's
the situation we are in and not the situation you want to be in just
because you'd like for (Melchiori) to focus on one. He is a heck of a
punter and now he has to become a heck of a kicker."... Melchiori is thrilled to have the chance to add kicking to his college duties. He's used to handling several roles. At nearby
Aurora High School, he handled field goals, extra points, kickoffs and
punts while also earning first-team All-Chagrin Valley Conference honors
as a wide receiver. "I was both a punter and kicker in high school, so I'm familiar with
handling both jobs," said Melchiori, who ranked third in the
Mid-American Conference in punting last season with a 42.6-yard average.
"I'm just trying to work at becoming the best placekicker that I can
be. It's hard to follow a player like Freddy Cortez, who is the all-time
leading scorer at Kent State. Those are definitely some big shoes to
fill, but I also had some big shoes to fill last year when I took over
the punting position'."

"This offseason, I have really just been up to probably what everyone
else is up to. Taking summer classes and working out. Me and the other
kicker, Brad Miller, have been up at the field kicking at least twice a
week. Other than that there hasn't been much going on besides school,
working out, and kicking. My goals for the upcoming season are really
high for me this year. I would like to have one of the top ten punt
teams in the country with a high net average. I would also like to be
the best punter in the country, and be a contender for the Ray Guy
award. I would also like to earn 1st team all conference as a punter,
and my goal each game is to out kick the opposing teams punter."

"This offseason I finally got to go home and spend time with my family
and friends. Time off is something we don't have a lot of, so it's nice
to be able to relax and be around friends and family, because they are
the people who support you when you aren't able to be there at times.My
plans for this summer are to work hard and push myself at workouts and
conditioning. My goals for the summer are to get better each day and
help my team anyway I can, and to also stay on top of my summer classes
and keep my grades up.

My plans for the upcoming season are very
simple and that is to win. I'm willing to do whatever it takes for my
team and I will take on any role they need me to in order to do that. My
goals for this upcoming season are to compete and try and win the place
kicking job. This isn't an easy job at all competing with Melchiori, but
I'm gonna work hard and let the coaches make the decisions they think
are best for this team. Being roommates with Melchiori I know that we
are both going to compete hard and whoever ends up kicking at the end of
the day we both support each other and are happy for one another and are
still going to be great friends regardless. We both want what's best
for the team to win!"

2012: "Goss, a walk-on kicker for the Golden Flashes, only dressed out for
home games this season, her first with the team. She didn't make the
travel squad. But for bowl games, teams are allowed to take the entire
team so Goss' first road trip as a Kent State player is for the
GoDaddy.com Bowl, the school's first bowl appearance in 40 years....

She kicked
for two years at Hopewell High School in Aliquippa, Pa. When her high
school career was over Goss had the urge to keep playing, to continue kicking. So when she was deciding what college to attend, in the back of
her mind she also considered attempting to earn a spot on that school's
football team as a walk-on kicker. 'When I was done (with her high school career) I realized I didn't
really finish,'' Goss said. 'I still had something in me that said, 'I
want to keep going, I want to keep playing'."

2013: "This summer, I've been really focusing on increasing my strength and
flexibility for kicking. Also making sure to get my technique and form
just right. My goals for this year is to help my team capitalize on
every opportunity that lies ahead and most importantly win. We had a
great season last year, but we still came up short at the MAC
Championship and that is definitely a goal we look to complete this
season."

2012: Played in all 14 games, serving as long snapper on all punts and kicks

"I have been going to class and football lifting in Kent. Just focusing
on my grades and schoolwork while becoming a better football player each
day. When it comes to down time myself and the rest of the specialists
like to fish or go golfing. For the upcoming season I am simply striving
for perfection in everything I do on the field. Long snapping is a job
that requires perfection and that's what I plan on doing. Our team goal
is to win a MAC Championship."